For the first two months this season, USC coach Clay Helton had a habit.

When he watched film of the Trojans’ upcoming Pac-12 Conference opponent, he liked to view the footage from its game against Washington.

It was, Helton reasoned, because of similarities between the Trojans and Huskies.

After a practice this week, he drew parallels.

The teams often lined up in the same offensive formations. Their personnel mirrored each other, with ankle-breaking skill position players and burly linemen. Both start underclassmen at quarterback. And particularly so, he felt, they featured balance on offense. Washington’s average run-pass play split per game is: 60 percent to 40 percent. For USC, it’s 53 percent-47 percent.

“It’s two really similar teams,” Helton said.

It was a constructive exercise. Washington offered a useful model for facing certain foes like Arizona and Oregon.

On Saturday, USC will face the fourth-ranked, undefeated Huskies, a prime-time showdown that presents the chance to see how much it measures up. Similarities will be in focus.

The Trojans are riding high after recovering from the walloping by Alabama in its season opener, a part of a woeful 1-3 start. They have since reeled off five straight wins.

“If we can keep this going,” right tackle Zach Banner said, “we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

Over the five-game win streak, only one victory came against a ranked team.

For USC, Washington, assuredly, offers the stiffest test since September.

When USC has the ball

Start with the obvious.

How will Sam Darnold respond?

Since the redshirt freshman took over as the Trojans’ starting quarterback, four of his six starts have come at the Coliseum. A sold-out Husky Stadium, with an expected crowd of more than 70,000, will be as imposing of a setting as he has stepped into.

Helton laughed this week when asked if he could recall a time when he had seen the 19-year-old nervous.

“It’s hard to tell if he’s excited, or nervous, or anything,” Helton said. “It’s a sign of a good quarterback.”

Darnold has been cool lately.

On USC’s five-game winning streak, he has passed for 1,485 yards and 18 touchdowns, while completing 68 percent of his passes with only three of them intercepted.

“His arm strength kind of jumps off at you on the tape,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said.

When Washington has the ball

“He’s really a general for them,” safety Chris Hawkins said. “He really gets everybody going. When you think of what a quarterback really does, he does that. If he sees a safety coming down, he’ll check opposite and they’ll run the opposite way. And he really doesn’t make mistakes.”

Look at several statistics.

He has thrown 34 touchdowns to three interceptions. His pass efficiency rating is on track to set the FBS record. And he has a nice deep ball.

Browning has completed 55 percent on his passes 20 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus.

He is aided by a talented pair of junior receivers, John Ross and Dante Pettis, who have hauled in 25 of Browning’s 34 touchdown tosses, giving cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Iman Marshall a challenge.

“He gets the ball to his receivers,” Hawkins said. “He never really makes it difficult for them to catch it.”

Washington averages 48 points and 499 yards per game.

As Helton raved about the Huskies’ balance, he pointed to their rushing attack, led by Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman, who have combined for 1,552 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

“The first thing that jumps out at you is Jake Browning,” Helton said, “but when you actually look at, they’re actually a run-first team.”

The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in rushing offense.

Helton said Gaskin reminded him of Le’Veon Bell, the NFL running back, “with kind of how he bounces in and of holes and is extremely patient waiting for blocks.”

The particular challenge for USC remains: which part of Washington’s balanced offense does it zero in on?

“They’re really good,” defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said. “They got really quality tight ends, a really quality running game, really explosive receivers. And the quarterback play is at a really high level. They have a lot of weapons, and they use a lot of areas of the field.”

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.

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